21 August 2019 Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee Parliament of Victoria Spring Street EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002 Dear Sir/Madam, Victorian Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee’s Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victorian Communities. Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to the Victorian Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee’s Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victorian Communities. Please accept this officer submission from Bass Coast Shire Council. Bass Coast Shire Council supports the inquiry and is committed to protecting the environment, community and regional economy from the impacts of climate change now and into the future. Bass Coast Shire is situated in a unique environment that is our most valuable asset and the community of Bass Coast is passionate in protecting the natural amenity and the local environment. Bass Coast Shire is located 130 kilometres south east of Melbourne, and is predominantly a coastal municipality with 177 kilometres of unique coastline complimented by a highly productive agricultural hinterland. The Shire covers over 860sq km spanning rich farmland, stunning coastline and tranquil hinterland. The Shire has some of the most diverse well known and well visited coastline in Victoria with extensive waterlines, bounded by Westernport to the west and Bass Strait to the south. Bass Coast Shire’s major natural assets including Western Port (a Ramsar listed wetland site), Anderson Inlet, Bass River, Powlett River, three Marine Parks, the Phillip Island Nature Park and other heath and bushland reserves. Bass Coast is also part of the internationally recognised Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve. A distinctive topographic feature of Bass Coast is Phillip Island, located to the west of the mainland at the entrance to Westernport. Many studies and reports have found that Bass Coast residents, businesses and visitors identify the natural local environment and coastal location as a major lifestyle component and of paramount importance for living, working or visiting Bass Coast. Council recognises the international scientific consensus that climate change is a result of increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, influenced principally by human activities. (Climate Change Plan 2014 – Part One) Council accepts that Climate Change is real and impacts our community and our organisation; and we will need to adapt. (NES 2016-26) Council understands that to respond to Climate Change through reducing emissions to keep global temperatures below 1.5oC and protect the region from the impacts of Climate Change we need to work closely with our community. The Natural Environment Strategy 2016-2026 (NES 2016-26) set’s out Council’s commitment to preserve, protect, restore and enhance the natural environment across Bass Coast for the next 10 years. The relevant strategic direction from the strategy for this inquiry states: Mitigating the forecast impacts of climate change by integrating the predictions into our decision making and planning for infrastructure, services and utility. We will improve climate change sustainability by helping our community and organisation to make better environmental decisions and respond more effectively to the challenges of our changing climate. Please refer to the attachment outlining Bass Coast Shire Councils response to the four areas of investigation under consideration by the Committee. For further information on this submission, please contact me, Deirdre Griepsma, Manager Sustainable Environment Bass Coast Shire Council, on 1300 BCOAST (226 278) or via email at Yours Sincerely Deirdre Griepsma Manager, Sustainable Environment ED19/110547 Appendix 1: Bass Coast Shire response to the Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victoria Communities. 1. Actions being taken by 1.1 Bass Coast Shire Council has committed to a 50% community members and reducing in corporate greenhouse gas emissions organisations to mitigation by 2025, compared to 2009/2010 levels. the severity of climate Actions to achieve targets: change, including actions to reduce greenhouse gas Identify and deliver projects to upgrade emissions. infrastructure and reduce Council’s carbon emissions, such as behind the meter PV solar systems on Council buildings. Introduction of the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) 3 bin kerbside waste system in 2017 to reduce the volume of organic waste to landfill. Resulting in a 76% diversion of organics from landfill and reducing landfill emissions. This program is supported by a significant education program. Installing gas flaring on the Council owned and operated Landfill, reducing emissions of harmful methane emissions. In 2015 Council completed the Sustainable Street lighting Project replacing 2540 light globes to energy efficient globes across the municipality. Reducing emissions by 67%. Adoption of the Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) Policy for Council Buildings (2017). The ESD policy aims to provide direction about incorporating ESD into Council’s building projects, state commitments to sustainable building standards, ensure consistency of ESD application across Council and articulate our approach to ESD principles. 1.2 Bass Coast Shire has set a community emissions aspirational target to reduce community emissions by 50% by 2025 form 2009/2010 levels per Bass Coast Shire resident. 1.3 Bass Coast Shire Council has committed to working closely with the community through a ‘Community of Practice’ to inspire transitioning to a Zero-net emissions community into the future. Actions to achieve targets: Undertake community emission profile assessment and establish baseline to understand how emissions are generated. Ongoing support to community mobilisation to respond to climate change. Support for the community group ‘Totally Renewable Phillip Island’, who have set an ambitious target of achieving a carbon neutral community by 2030. The group has established 6 working groups covering, carbon accounting, carbon farming, clean energy, communication and education, food and waste and towards zero emissions transport. Participate in the community engagement and development of the Regional Renewable Roadmap for Bass Coast and South Gippsland, to identify new renewable energy opportunities and how benefits may be shared by communities. Old Energy New Energy, launched in May 2019 provides 91kW of solar panels and 41 kWh of battery storage at the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine, facilitated by the Energy Innovation Co-operative. The Energy Innovation Co-Op is a trading Co- Operative working across Gippsland manages projects and has over 200 members/shareholders. Sustainable residential project in Cape Paterson, offering 230 home sites with energy efficient designs, featuring 7.5 star designed homes, minimum of 2.5kW of solar energy and electric vehicle charge points within the development. Future Homes Program in 2014-15 involved workshops showcasing sustainable homes, with the aim of participants reducing energy and water use and living more sustainably. Recently a new group has formed within the region, the Bass Coast Climate Action Network (BCCAN). The BCCAN recently held a community event to inform the community of the impacts of climate change on the region and are calling for a ‘climate emergency’ in Bass Coast. 2. Actions by community 2.1 Bass Coast Shire is working towards protecting members and organisations and retreating public infrastructure from to adapt to the current and foreshore erosion whilst working with the natural future impacts of climate coastal processes. change. 2.2 Participate in creating a Regional Adaptation Snapshot for Gippsland, working with DELWP, Community and partners to provide an overview and gap analysis of climate change impacts, actions, gaps and priorities in the region. 2.3 Bass Coast Shire Council has introduced a Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) via the planning scheme amendment to riverine and coastal areas of Bass Coast (Amendment C82). 2.4 Worked with partners through DELWP to develop the Regional Adaptation Plan for Gippsland which forms part of Victoria’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2017-2020 to guide internal planning, investment and actions with our region. 2.5 Council is supporting Bass Coast Landcare to deliver the ‘Growing Southern Gippsland’ project which is designed to promote climate change resilience in agriculture across southern Gippsland. 2.6 Council additionally supports a range of volunteer groups, such as Coast Care / Coast Action Groups, Residents and Ratepayer Groups, Conservation Societies and Friend of Groups to provide project support, funding opportunities, tree planting and revegetation support and training of volunteers where required. 2.7 Education and awareness programs with our community on climate change impacts and actions the community can take to respond to climate change and reduce emissions, including waste amangement. An example of this is the Sustainability Festival that has been operating since 2000 with activities and demonstrations to provide practical skills for residents and visitors to use at home, work and in the community. 2.8 Various works to address coastal erosion. Major projects include: o Wet sand fencing, sand renourishment and revegetation at Inverloch surf beach. o Sand renourishment at Cowes Main Beach. o Design of erosion responses at Cowes East foreshore. 3. Ways in which the 3.1 A strong State Target will support Local government can best Government’s